The present invention relates to a refrigerated, automatic vending machine of a low-capacity, for bottles or cans. More specifically, the present invention relates to a refrigerated, automatic, coin-operated vending machine of a suitable size for installation on a counter or as a wall console.
Heretofore coin-operated, automatic vending machines for bottles or cans have generally been designed to include a high storage capacity, to make them suitable for use in large, commercial establishments. Coin-operated vending machines of smaller capacities for use in small office or low-volume sales locations have been rather simplistic in their design. These small-capacity vending machines have, for the most part, not included some of the sophisticated controls and features present in the high-capacity vending machines because of the high cost of some of these controls. However, a need in the art exists for a small capacity coin-operated, automatic vending machine incorporating more sophisticated controls and features than used heretofore, while maintaining a reasonable cost for each vending machine unit.